Comedy 3 Acts - New York 1950
The 'guests' at the Cloisters, a tasteful private home for the mentally disturbed, are awaiting a new arrival, Mrs Ethel Savage. They are gentle and dignified, funny and insightful, each with their particular quirks. All are psychologically wounded to a greater or lesser degree.
Ethel arrives with her three stepchildren, Senator Titus, Judge Samuel and oft-married Lily Belle. Ethel and the stepchildren do not get on and her plan to establish a memorial fund dedicated to her husband - to enable people to do all the foolish things they missed out on has spurred the horrid stepchildren into certifying Ethel to stop her spending the family fortune.
She soon makes friends with the guests; handsome, war-shocked Jeff; delicately beautiful but 'inventive' and emotionally withdrawn Fairy May; child-obsessed Florence; would-be musician Hannibal, and would-be painter Mrs Paddy who hates everything.
Nurse Miss Willie is actually Jeff's wife awaiting his return to health and the place is overseen by good young Dr Emmett.
The stepchildren discover Ethel has converted the money into bonds, but she will not reveal their hiding place until the threat of sodium pentothal makes her bring them out. But Mrs Paddy, saving electricity for Lent, turns out the lights and the bonds vanish, later to appear in ashes. The stepchildren give up after various other humiliations, but Dr Emmett releases Ethel who is obviously quite sane and must, therefore, leave the Cloisters. In fact, Miss Willie had snatched the bonds and she returns them to Ethel who, as she turns to say goodbye to the residents, sees them transformed in her mind into talented, beautiful and complete human beings.